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Old 12-08-2016, 12:38 PM   #61
Bill Bumface
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prevent undercutting
I.e. competition?

If someone can offer something for cheaper, why not?
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Old 12-08-2016, 12:38 PM   #62
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I wonder if this will backfire. Dentists will still charge high rates, and insurance companies will decide to only cover up to the fee guide cost. Then we are left on the hook for the rest.

My insurance has already decided to cut back from 6 months to 1 year between visits.

A) This is already how it works. There is a set standardized cost by location ( I think it is by city or by postal code), and insurance companies will cover up to that, the remainder isn't. This obviously isn't how all plans work, but there is already the "fee guide" out there, it just isn't published like it used to

B) Your insurance coverage is your employer's decision for everything, including time between checkups and cleanings, and even things like how many units of scaling to cover and when. Every insurance plan will offer whatever coverage your employer wants to pay for.
Mine and my wife's plans through Sunlife are completely different in so many ways, you'd think they were different companies. All depends on what the employer wants to pay for and what features they want to offer. Even the options available on the website change from employer to employer.
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Old 12-08-2016, 12:44 PM   #63
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My last cleaning was $325 and that didn't involve x-rays or check by the dentist. $325!!!!! This madness has to stop. I have my work coverage and my wife's and between them I don't pay anything but I have no idea how less fortunate families can handle this type of gouging as it's just ridiculous what Alberta dentists have been charging.
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Old 12-08-2016, 12:56 PM   #64
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You're all just anti-dentites.

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Old 12-08-2016, 01:01 PM   #65
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Agree fully, but as a contractor I need something.

If there is a better program available someone please tell me.
I have CustomCare set up to make dental costs etc a taxable benefit through my contracting company. If and when I start generating revenue. There are pros and cons to it, but worth checking into as an option.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:02 PM   #66
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Heh, such an albertan answer.

No, it's not the lowest taxes in the country that prevent the province for extending medical coverage, it's the lack of user fees!

I want more services, but don't you dare touch my taxes.
Alberta's tax revenue is pretty close to BC's even with the flat income tax, and they have similar populations.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:03 PM   #67
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My last cleaning was $325 and that didn't involve x-rays or check by the dentist. $325!!!!! This madness has to stop. I have my work coverage and my wife's and between them I don't pay anything but I have no idea how less fortunate families can handle this type of gouging as it's just ridiculous what Alberta dentists have been charging.
Mine was just $375 for cleaning only last week! Ive noticed they also always charge 3 units of scaling (31-45 mins) regardless of how much time it actually takes. No idea what standard practice is in this area.

Bit of a joke to be honest. I think its a game of chicken for them. See how high they can charge and still get away with it, since they know most poeple in Calgary have good insurance.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:04 PM   #68
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So this is actually a thing? I think my dentist has more pictures of my teeth then I have of my wedding.
Standard dental X-rays are different than the cone beam CT, which are more similar to the CT scanners in hospital. 70+ dentists in Alberta bought them for their offices because you could charge lots of money for the scan instead of Xrays, and you could also sell them for vanity reasons (eg. 3D model of your kids teeth). Alot of dentists got very rich doing these, all at the cost of their patients wallets and increased radiation dose.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:04 PM   #69
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they likely left out the part where the government is going to spend $10 or so million to publicize this.

ads for this will run back to back with the carbon tax ads.

it will be interesting to see how this comes into effect. Even witht eh alberta Advantage of dental fees being x% (the original linked article suggested 40%) more than other provinces, it will take years for prices alberta dentists charge to even out to other provinces.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:07 PM   #70
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Mine was just $375 for cleaning only last week! Ive noticed they also always charge 3 units of scaling (31-45 mins) regardless of how much time it actually takes. No idea what standard practice is in this area.

Bit of a joke to be honest. I think its a game of chicken for them. See how high they can charge and still get away with it, since they know most poeple in Calgary have good insurance.
My last time, they left my file in the room with me while I was waiting 30 min for the dentist to come back and look for 30 seconds. I wasn't that happy when I saw the following notation

"Insurance coverage, always bill for 3 units scaling"
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:09 PM   #71
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Blue Cross has their own fee guide already.

Even with insurance I am out of pocket about 6G's a year for my family.

Just for Dental.
You should stop getting a checkup every week.
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:29 PM   #72
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Lisa needs braces!
Dental Plan!!
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Old 12-08-2016, 01:33 PM   #73
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Originally Posted by Bill Bumface View Post
I.e. competition?

If someone can offer something for cheaper, why not?
It is more complex than that. There is nothing stopping someone from charging much less, but it really drives the quality of care down. The Fee schedule is not something that has to be followed.

Exam Fee's help pay for good staff, new equipment and other aspects of overhead. Lowering the prices gives you an overall lower level of service/care.

It is certainly a balance though and i think Optometry strikes a pretty good one.

The office i work at in Strathmore can charge $25 less per exam due to lower staff costs and lower rent. My office here in a mall needs to charge more due to higher rent and higher staff costs. We also have to open longer hours because we are in a mall.
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Old 12-08-2016, 03:48 PM   #74
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Cool. Do you recall what the charge is for a cleaning?
Just took a look at my claims history. Visits ranged from $225-275 for a basic cleaning.
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Old 12-09-2016, 10:49 AM   #75
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Originally Posted by Hes View Post
It is more complex than that. There is nothing stopping someone from charging much less, but it really drives the quality of care down. The Fee schedule is not something that has to be followed.

Exam Fee's help pay for good staff, new equipment and other aspects of overhead. Lowering the prices gives you an overall lower level of service/care.

It is certainly a balance though and i think Optometry strikes a pretty good one.

The office i work at in Strathmore can charge $25 less per exam due to lower staff costs and lower rent. My office here in a mall needs to charge more due to higher rent and higher staff costs. We also have to open longer hours because we are in a mall.
So is the general idea that in the case of eye care, the patient can't reasonably differentiate between standards of care (for example, outdated equipment, missing the more modern tests) so the governing body tries to establish a reasonable minimum?

If that's the case, makes sense. If it prevents someone from having the above, and wanting to charge less, then it seems more....dental.
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Old 12-09-2016, 11:34 AM   #76
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Originally Posted by Erick Estrada View Post
My last cleaning was $325 and that didn't involve x-rays or check by the dentist. $325!!!!! This madness has to stop. I have my work coverage and my wife's and between them I don't pay anything but I have no idea how less fortunate families can handle this type of gouging as it's just ridiculous what Alberta dentists have been charging.
I paid $216 (60% of that covered by insurance) for a basic cleaning and thought that was a bit high...but $325? Wow.

I'd love to decline the dentist coming by to chat during a full checkup, because I know exactly what the dentist will tell me. It's the same every single year: "Everything looks good. Any changes to your health? By the way, you probably should consider getting your wisdom teeth removed. Still no pain from them? Well, keep it in mind. It gets tougher to recover from as you get older." It would save me the $100 or whatever he charges out for 5 minutes of his time.
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Old 12-09-2016, 12:34 PM   #77
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Working in BC right now and a few guys have gone to the dentist here and can't believe the price difference. I'm a resident here so I haven't had any work done in Alberta but from what I've heard it's an astronomical difference. I don't have insurance and got a cleaning x rays and 2 wisdom teeth pulled for 850$, didn't seem too bad to me.
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Old 12-09-2016, 01:11 PM   #78
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Cleaning for kid 1 - $300
Cleaning + X-rays for kid 2 - $440

Seems about middle of the pack, although I just changed dentists and this is about $50 cheaper than the old one. Still way too much.
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Old 12-09-2016, 01:31 PM   #79
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Originally Posted by Bill Bumface View Post
So is the general idea that in the case of eye care, the patient can't reasonably differentiate between standards of care (for example, outdated equipment, missing the more modern tests) so the governing body tries to establish a reasonable minimum?

If that's the case, makes sense. If it prevents someone from having the above, and wanting to charge less, then it seems more....dental.
Yes exactly. We differntiate ourselves from Opticians by being way more educated on health of the eyes. You should be getting a thorough eye health examination from your Optometrist. The new standard for that involves time, state of the art equipment and expertise. Good staff is a must as well to ensure out of the exam chair care is great as well.

Those free eye exam places are Opticians (who have only very basic health training).

Honestly, really cheap exam fees results in an over-reliance on glasses sales to keep the lights on. That is not in the patients best interests.
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Old 12-09-2016, 01:50 PM   #80
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Originally Posted by bizaro86 View Post
"Insurance coverage, always bill for 3 units scaling"
Does this sound like insurance fraud to anyone else?
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